Kelly Puente

Kelly Puente is an award-winning general assignment and special projects reporter at the Long Beach Post. She has worked as a journalist in Long Beach since 2006, covering everything from education and crime to courts and breaking news. Kelly previously worked at the Long Beach Press-Telegram and the Orange County Register before joining the Post in 2018. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public policy and administration at Cal State Long Beach, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree. Kelly collects tiki mugs in her spare time and hopes to visit as many tiki bars as humanly possible. Reach her at kelly@lbpost.com

Articles

Members of the Fourth Samoan Congregational Christian Church of Long Beach worship on Sept. 5, 2021. The church this summer lost

It may be a global pandemic, but local news matters

Local reporting shines a light on Long Beach's glaring health disparities during the pandemic.

Several cargos ships wait outside of the breakwater as they wait for their turn to enter the ports from Signal Hill Friday, Oct.

Environment & Climate

Healthcare Systems & Policy

Community & Public Health

‘You can see it. You can smell it. It’s dirty’: West Long Beach is choking on air pollution from cargo congestion

In recent weeks, residents say the area has been blanketed in a thick haze while the ports have ramped up operations to deal with a massive global shipping bottleneck.

Environmental Health

Chronic Disease

Members of the Fourth Samoan Congregational Christian Church of Long Beach worship on Sept. 5, 2021.

Health Equity & Social Justice

Healthcare Systems & Policy

Community & Public Health

‘A sad wake up call’: COVID-19 has hit Pacific Islanders harder than any other group

On August 27, the small Samoan church of about 200 parishioners in North Long Beach held its first ever triple funeral service.

Race and Equity

Poverty and Class

Healthcare Regulation and Reform

A woman receives a COVID-19 vaccine during a mobile vaccine clinic at the rear of MacArthur Park in Central Long Beach

Health Equity & Social Justice

Environment & Climate

Healthcare Systems & Policy

Community & Public Health

Convincing the unvaccinated: City pushes to vaccinate vulnerable groups as COVID-19 delta variant rages

In Long Beach, health officials say they’ve made progress in getting new people vaccinated in recent weeks, with a nearly 50% increase in daily doses administered.

Race and Equity

Poverty and Class

Environmental Health

Immigrant and Migrant Health

Healthcare Regulation and Reform

Health Insurance and Costs

Patient Safety and Ethics

Amaka Iheaka gives a shot to Yolanda Penaflor at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Long Beach Convention Center on April 1,

COVID-19 exposes long-standing health inequities in one of California’s largest cities

Health disparities have existed in Long Beach for decades, but experts say those long-standing inequalities have now come into stark view during COVID-19.

Reporting Topics

Reporting Topics

Reporting Topics

Reporting Topics

Reporting Topics

Kelly Puente

Articles

It may be a global pandemic, but local news matters

‘You can see it. You can smell it. It’s dirty’: West Long Beach is choking on air pollution from cargo congestion

‘A sad wake up call’: COVID-19 has hit Pacific Islanders harder than any other group

Convincing the unvaccinated: City pushes to vaccinate vulnerable groups as COVID-19 delta variant rages

COVID-19 exposes long-standing health inequities in one of California’s largest cities